Sedona Sunrise
by Ragdoll17
Summary: She was running,leaving it all behind for just the chance of something better.When her car breaks down on a dusty Sedona road,Ryan Atwood with his stormy blue eyes was the last thing seventeen yro Marissa Cooper expected to find...full summary inside. AU
1. Chapter 1: A Dusty Road

**Summary**: She was running, leaving it all behind for just the chance of something better. When her car breaks down on a dusty Sedona road, Ryan Atwood with his stormy blue eyes was the last thing seventeen year old Marissa Cooper expected to find...and he won't be the last or the only new thing in store for her when she gets thrown into his seemingly dream-like upscale life. The same goes for Ryan and his family and friends, who've never met anyone exactly like Marissa. The Yavapai County half of Sedona is about to get a lot more interesting...

**A/N:** OK...so this is my first OC fic. The story is VERY AU, but it will have the Fab Four of course, as well as most of the other characters we know and love. Now, about where it's set...Sedona...ya, kind of random, but i was inspired by the Aerosmith song mentioned in this chapter. Now I've never been to Sedona or really know what it's like, so it will probably end up being an AU version of the city as well...if that makes any sense. lol. Now if there are any key points I should know about to entwine into the story, please mention them when you leave reviews. (hint hint...wink wink...elbow...nudge...lol) Well...I hope you enjoy the story. Please review and tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is welcomed...nay encouraged. Next chapter should be up within a day or two and the rest of the characters should be introduced.

Happy Reading

Ragdoll

**Chapter One: A Dusty Road**

She was sitting on the edge of the cracked leather seat, legs stretched out the door and Converse clad feet resting on black asphalt. She had the radio blaring, Steven Tyler's addicting vocals belting out a ballad about a sunrise in Sedona; ironic, she thought for a moment, being broken down on the side of the road in the very city the lyrics were describing. That was just the way the CD played out though. Momentarily this song would end, the next one would play, and Marissa Cooper would still be stuck on a dusty road in Sedona, Arizona.

Getting up, she walked around the side of the faded black and currently dirt-streaked Camaro, popped the hood, and was greeted with a face full of smog. Turning herself away sputtering, Marissa stopped to take in more of her surroundings while the haze cleared.

There was desert all around her; desert shrubs, desert cacti, desert dirt and rocks. She could just see the outskirts of the city and knew if she turned around and looked about a half mile down the road, there would be a sign welcoming her to Yavapai County and Sedona. She turned back to her car intending to scowl, but ended up biting her bottom lip instead.

Some welcome.

Marissa spent the next forty-five minutes under the hood of the car and when she re-surfaced, was pissed off, with grease smeared on her cheek. The mechanic back in Houston had said that her fuel pump would be fine for at least another twenty-five hundred miles.

_Lazy bastard, _she thought to herself, slamming the hood back down. Noticing that the music had stopped, Marissa walked back to the car door, flipped the driver seat forward and began rummaging through one of several cardboard boxes sitting in the backseat. Finding one that sounded good, she carefully popped it out of its case and slid it into the CD player in the front. After replacing Aerosmith in its respective case and back in the box, Marissa proceeded to flip through the songs on the CD now playing.

She settled on the last song of _Led Zeppelin: IV_ and with the slow steady rhythm of "When the Levee Breaks" playing, Marissa climbed out of the car and sat on the hood, leaning against the hot glass of the windshield. She sat like that for a moment, before giving in to her frustration and reaching into the back pocket of faded jeans, pulled out a pack and the lighter. Sighing, Marissa took one of the two remaining cigarettes out, placed it between her lips and lit it. She took a drag, pulled it away, exhaled, and cursed the slim wad of chemicals now smoking in her fingers.

Leaning forward and resting her "smoking hand" on a raised knee, Marissa observed the western sky slowly turning to a firey backdrop of reds and oranges. She was beginning to think about another uncomfortable night's sleep to look forward to in the seat of her car when the sound of an approaching engine snapped her back into focus. She turned her head behind her and saw an old Impala speeding in from the direction she had come. Marissa didn't even bother trying to wave it down because by the time she realized this was the first car she had seen in over two hours, it was already past her, spinning up dust into her already dirty blond-brown hair. Sighing again, Marissa took another drag and leaned back, losing herself in the continuing melody of "When the Levee Breaks."

**A/N: **Me again. lol. DISCLAIMER: I own not the characters, the cars, the songs, the bands, or (sadly) Steven Tyler. Reviews much loved!


	2. Chapter 2: Not Admitting It

**A/N:** ok, here's the second chapter. It's pretty short and I don't know exactly how happy I am with it, but it took me a long time to write. Had a smidge of writer's block. The next one will definetly be longer and the story will start moving along. So, enjoy, read and PLEASE review. It makes me happy.

Happy Reading

-Ragdoll

**Chapter Two: Not Admitting It**

He was speeding for no other reason then that it felt good; that thrill, the rush of being on the edge of danger… And he'd caught Sadie cheating. Again. Why he'd welcomed her back into his arms the other two times…

Simple, he thought and laughed dryly. She'd said sorry, that it would never happen again. She'd looked at him, lower lip trembling, big brown eyes brimming with tears and said how messed up she still was after what happened with Johnny. She'd said that she loved him.

This time when he'd walked in on her, she said nothing at all.

He felt hurt and stupid –monumentally stupid- , but Ryan Atwood wouldn't admit that, not to Seth, not to his brother, or anyone else. He could hardly admit it to himself. So instead of admitting things, he had taken off without a word to anyone the night before in the restored '67 Chevy Impala that had been a sixteenth birthday present, and just drove.

He was forty miles outside of Sedona and in the middle of the desert before he stopped. He didn't eat or sleep, but just sat and brooded, all night and most of the day. He'd ignored his ringing phone, missing calls from Seth, a surprising one from Summer, though it was probably Seth calling on her phone, his brother, dad, and his mom. He knew he'd probably have hell to pay when got home. Not necessarily something new though…

When the sun began to sink below the red rock of the canyons, he'd started his engine, turned the car around, and headed back toward Sedona, preparing to face his mother.

* * *

He was just inside the county limits when he saw the faded Camaro on the side of the road. Not seeing anyone at first glance, Ryan sped by, though thought he caught the steady beats of what he was fairly sure was Led Zeppelin. He checked his mirrors as he was leaving the car in the dust. A quarter mile later, he slowed, stopped and debated for a moment whether or not the wrath of Jennifer Atwood would be much worse if he finally showed up home at dark, rather then just before it. 

It took only a moment before he turned around.


	3. Chapter 3: Flawed

**A/N:** Ok, I know it's been FOREVER since I updated, but school started and I've been totally busy. Had a lot of thinking time for the story though, so I know pretty much where I'm going to take it. I'll repeat my disclaimer...I own NOTHING except the way my story goes. Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this chapter. It's longer than the others. I'm not sure what I think of my writing in it though, so when you review...hint,hint, wink,wink...tell me what you think of how I write too, PLEASE. BTW:Thanks to all who've reviewed. And to all those who've read and didn't reveiw...thanks for reading...pretty please leave me a teeny tiny review. They make me happy. --smiles adorably-- Hope to get the next chapter up within the next week or so. Anyway...enjoy!

Happy Reading.

-Ragdoll

**Chapter Three: Flawed**

As she watched the car that had only a moment before sped past returning, Marissa climbed slowly off the hood of the car and stood, right hip cocked against the side. She put the cigarette to her lips again and took a long drag as the Impala pulled up next to her and stopped. She exhaled as the door creaked opened and the driver stepped out.

His hair was a sandy blond in color and it was just long enough to be messy, like hands had been run through it over and over. He had a tan and chiseled face with a broad nose and damn near perfect mouth. He was dressed in biker boots and jeans with an open black button-up shirt over a well-worn wife-beater. He was almost exactly her height, and Marissa figured if she were to stand up completely straight, they would match each other, eye to eye.

That was what really caught her attention upon first seeing him though; his eyes. They were an intense blue, the color of the sea just before a storm begins to rage across the waters.

* * *

Driving back, he watched her as she climbed off the hood of her car and leaned casually against it, watched as she put the cigarette to her mouth and smoked, but it wasn't until he was stepping out of his car that Ryan really looked at her. 

Even with a knee bent, she was just about his height and her worn jeans did not diminish the fact that her legs seemed to go on forever. She had on a simple black camisole that didn't leave much to the imagination, curve-wise. Her tousled blond-brown hair came down to the base of her collar bone and framed a face with high cheek bones, a straight nose, and a pretty mouth. There was a smear of grease on her left cheek.

Then there were her eyes. He was as caught in her eyes as she was in his. They were the blue-grey of the sea during the storm; deep, and seductive.

For the briefest second, they just stared at each other, neither realizing completely that the other was looking. Then the silence, save the music coming from her car, was broken by one little word.

* * *

"Hey," Marissa said, exhaling smoke and eyes on him. 

"Hey," Ryan said, not looking away from her face and for the first time in twenty-four hours, not thinking of Sadie at all;

"Car trouble?" he asked.

"Nope, I enjoy standing on the edge of the road in middle of nowhere." She replied with a smug smile.

"Oh," Rolling his eyes, "Right." He said, walked past her and popped the hood of her car.

He spent several minutes under the hood with Marissa observing him with an amused look on her face, before emerging with grease smudged on his fingers.

"It looks like it's the-" Ryan began, but was cut as Marissa swaggered over and stood next to him.

"Fuel pump," He gave her a questioning look and she shrugged. "I know what's wrong with the damn thing; I just don't have what I'd need to fix it."

Ryan ran a hand through his hair and laughed.

"You got another one of those?" he asked, nodding his head at her still smoking cigarette.

"Yeah," Marissa replied, reaching into the back pocket of her jeans, "You want to poison you lungs, be my guest," and handed the last one in the pack to him.

"And what exactly are you doing?" he asked putting the cigarette to his lips, looking intently at her.

"This is my first one in six months," she said, placing the burning tip of hers at the end of his, "I'm pissed about it." Their eye contact remained unbroken as she lit his.

He took a drag, as did she.

"And you're doing it because…?" He questioned, exhaling.

Marissa looked at him for a moment before taking the cigarette from her lips again, blowing smoke past his face.

"I'm flawed."

With that, she flicked the cigarette to the road and ground it into the asphalt with her foot. She smiled wryly before turning away and closing the hood of the car. Ryan took advantage of the moment and looked at her again. She was beautiful.

"It's a nice car," he said, and then noticed the boxes stacked in her back seat. "Moving?" he asked.

"Kind of." She replied, turning back to face him.

"Where're you going?"

"As of right now, nowhere. As of before the car broke…yeah, nowhere." She leaned against the hood. There was something in her eyes, and so Ryan asked it.

"What, you running?" Marissa paused for a moment.

"You could say that." She replied. Ryan took another drag on his cigarette.

"What are you running from?"

She sighed.

"A life I don't want anymore… Boston." She looked away from him, out into the sunset.

"So now you're...?" He asked. She smiled, and returned her eyes to his.

"Whoever you want me to be." He laughed.

"I'm Ryan…Atwood."

"Marissa," she replied, "Marissa Cooper."

"Well Marissa Cooper, I don't think you're going to get anywhere in that tonight," he said nodding to her car, "Why don't you come back to my place. There's plenty of space. You could have dinner and stay in a guest room for the night. I know the mechanic in town; he could come get your car and start working on it in the morning."

That meant she could sleep in a bed, have food that wasn't oozing grease, and shower…and she could sleep in a bed. Then all his words registered.

Your place?" she said eyeing him suspiciously.

"My parents place." He said smiling. It was a nice smile, Marissa thought. He shrugged. "Seventeen and stuck at home."

"Better than seventeen and stuck in a car." She replied.

"Hm…" He said, not entirely convinced. "Well, are you in or out?"

"Your parents aren't going to mind?" Marissa asked.

"They tend to be fairly hospitable…and frankly bringing home a poor, grease-stained girl who was all alone on the side of the road _at night_ might pull on my mom's heartstrings enough to get her to forget a little about my not being home since yesterday afternoon."

"Poor, grease-stained?" She said, crossing her arms, narrowing her eyes at him, but wondering a little why he hadn't been home. It seemed she wasn't the only one who was flawed. He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face her reflection in the windshield. He didn't move them away as they stood there.

"If the shoe fits…" He said, smiling a half-smile and moving his face to the left side of hers where grease remained smeared there.

She could feel the warmth of his breath on her cheek, and combined with the soft pressure of his hands on her bare shoulders, Marissa felt her breath catch as she studied her reflection. Then she noticed the smear.

"Jackass." She said and shrugged his hands off her, attempting to rub it off as she walked to the driver's door. He just laughed. He had felt her breath catch, though it was for the briefest second…in addition to jolt down his spine he'd felt at the causal touch.

After opening the door, Marissa proceeded to pull out the six or seven boxes she had piled in the back and then going to the trunk, pulled out two large duffel bags.

"What are you doing?"

"If you think I'm leaving my stuff on the side of the road, you're out of your mind." She replied, closing the door and trunk and locking her car. "Now are we going or what?"

Ryan nodded and went back to his car, opening the passenger door and flipping the seat forward. Together, they loaded in Marissa's things.

"What is all this stuff?" he asked, hefting a heavier box into the trunk.

"Well…the two duffel bags are my clothes. Three of the boxes have CD's and some old vinyl in them, two are books, one is notebooks, and the other is just random things."

"You have three cardboard boxes of CD's?"

"And some records…" he looked at her. "I like music."

"Never would have guessed that one, Cooper."

"Nicknames and sarcasm… And it hasn't even been an hour Atwood."

Ryan laughed and put out his cigarette as Marissa climbed into the passenger seat of his car smiling. He watched as she tied her hair back into a messy bun, before walking around to the other side, getting in, and starting the car. Journey's _"_Lights" drifted through the speakers.

"I wouldn't have pegged you as a Journey kind of guy." Marissa said, turning to him, brow raised.

"Same goes with you. Zeppelin?" He retorted, looking back at her through the corners of his eyes, revving the engine and putting the old car into DRIVE.

"Touché."

They both cast their gazes back to the road as Ryan turned the car around and headed into Sedona, the last rays of sun fading from the desert sky.

**A/N...again:** What'd ya think? Hoped ya'll like it. Review please.


	4. Chapter 4: The House

**A/N:** ok...here's chapter four. personally, I think it's a little boring, though I had fun writing it. The next chapter should get a little more interesting. I'm thinking Marissa is going to meet Seth and Summer, and possibly Trey and Frank Atwood. I have a three day weekend, so if I'm lucky, I should have chapter 5 out by Monday.Hope you enjoy. Read and review!

Happy Reading

-Ragdoll

**Chapter 4: The House**

"That is your _house_?" Marissa stared up at his house as they pulled up, if you could belittle it with such a word, her mouth slightly agape and eyes wide in surprise. Never in her life had she seen a house or property such as this. It was built just on the borders of the desert and the city. The driveway began half a mile down a private road and stretched a further quarter of a mile before you actually pulled up to the house. The stretch was lined with cacti and palm trees.

The house itself was nestled into a red-rock canyon. To the left, it overlooked the desert and to the right, the city of Sedona. The house was massive. It was an old Mexican style villa gone over the top. It rose three stories and a portion of the roof had been converted into a deck of sorts. Balconies lined the top two stories in such a way that the second story had more that the third and with a porch wrapping around the bottom, a soft pyramid effect was given off.

Combined with the traditional terra cotta orange and brown tiles of the roof, the house came off as a bit of a shock at first. Once the initial surprise wore off however, the house was really quite beautiful; romantically dramatic even, ivy climbing up the sides and front and bright, fragrant flowers spilling over widow sills and balconies.

"Yeah…home sweet home." He replied, parking the car in the circular drive in front of the house and switching the engine off. Most of the lights were on since the sun had fully set. Ryan opened his door and began to climb out. He looked over at Marissa. She hadn't moved and was still gaping at the house. He leaned back in towards her.

"You coming?" he asked

"What? Yeah," she said snapping her gaze away from his home, "Yeah, let me just get a shirt." Marissa turned around, one knee on the seat, the other leg pushing her into the back. She unzipped the closest duffel bag and dug around in it for a moment. Pulling out a black tank-top, she opened her door and stepped out into the night. It was beginning to cool off some, compared to the sweltering heat that had been present earlier that day. Closing the door with a creak, she pulled the tank over her head and looked up at the house again.

"I've never seen anything like this," Marissa said, straightening her shirt as she turned to him and smiled, "It's beautiful." He met her gaze across the hood of his car and his throat went a little dry. Ryan tried to ignore it.

"Yeah…um…Well we should probably get inside" he said, walking around to the front of the car and she came to stand next to him.

"Okay." She replied. With that, they walked side by side up the front steps and to the door.

* * *

"RYAN MAURICE ATWOOD!" Jennifer Atwood definitely had a set of pipes. She'd needed them though, after spending the last twenty-five years chasing around two boys, who sometimes seemed like they had nothing better to do than drive her crazy. At least Trey had grown out of it though, by the time he had turned eighteen. 

But here was Ryan, four months shy and staying out all night, all day, not calling anyone or giving the slightest inclination that he was okay and just waltzing in over twenty-four hours after he had left. She'd be thankful later (as most mothers would be in the situation), that her youngest son was alright. At the present moment however, Jennifer Atwood could not remember being angrier.

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!" she shouted coming through the hallway leading from the kitchen to the entrance hall just as Ryan was closing the front door. Marissa saw his face before he turned around with that "Oh shit" kind of quirk about his mouth and the "God help me" look in his eyes that you get when you know you're screwed.

"Uh…Hey mom," Ryan said as he faced his mother, giving her a half smile.

"Oh, don't you dare 'Hey mom' me! Ryan where have you been?! You come home yesterday in a horrible mood after seeing your girlfriend and then out of nowhere just TAKE OFF! You don't bother telling me or your dad or Trey or even Seth where you're going or if you're all right and then you ignore all our phone calls ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT! EXPLAN YOURSELF!" Her face was flushed with anger and her fists were balled at her sides. Ryan had never seen his mother so mad.

…_yesterday in a horrible mood after seeing your girlfriend…_

Sadie. Ryan hadn't thought of her since first passing Marissa's car.

_Marissa…_

She was still standing behind him. He took a small step forward,

"Mom-" he started.

"Ryan, if you even so much as think of walking away from me, I swear I will-" Jennifer stopped mid-sentence upon seeing what, or rather whom, Ryan's movement had revealed.

She looked no older than her son, though she was almost as tall as him and thin. Her hair was dirty and a golden brown in color. It was piled messily behind her head, several stray strands falling around her face, framing it. There appeared to be something smudged on her left cheek, but despite it, she was stunning. She was slightly biting on her bottom lip and there was something in her blue-grey eyes that made Jennifer soften and momentarily disregard how angry she was at her son.

"Um…Good evening Mrs. Atwood." the young woman said, smiling slightly and nervously extending her hand, but she withdrew it, embarrassed after glancing and seeing how dirty it was.

"Good evening…" Jennifer replied, extending her own hand despite the younger one's dirty one and pausing to hear a name.

"Oh, um, Marissa," she said, taking a step forward past Ryan and placing her hand in the older woman's, "Marissa Cooper." Marissa felt uncomfortable shaking this woman's hand. She seemed so…clean, and perfect. They broke contact, and Marissa awkwardly stepped back to where she had been and tucked a spare piece of hair behind her ear as Jennifer looked back a her son, waiting for an explanation.

"Ryan…?" she voiced in a questioning tone.

"Wel- I was on my way home and I found Marissa on the side of the road just inside the county, so I stopped to help her and-"

"My car broke down…" Marissa interjected.

"Yeah, and it was getting dark, she was alone so I offered her a meal and a place to sleep until her car gets fixed."

Jennifer looked from her son to Marissa, and thought for a moment.

"Where is your car, Marissa?" Jennifer finally asked her.

"Um, about a half mile in from the 'Welcome to the county' sign."

"Alright then." She paused. "Why don't you come with me Marissa, there's some leftovers from dinner that we can heat up in the kitchen. I hope you like Italian."

Marissa, surprised, "Yes, Italian is fine. Absolutely, thank you."

"Good. Ryan, if you'd go drive back and get her things, we can set her up in the back guestroom on the third floor." Looking at Marissa and offering the girl a smile, "The view is beautiful up there and it's the only guestroom with its own bathroom, so you can have your privacy."

"I don't know what to say, except thank you so much." Marissa said, smiling slightly. It made her face light up a bit more and Jennifer softened towards the girl.

"Well, then come on into the kitchen with me, and Ryan-"

"Actually mom, we put her stuff in my car, so it's here already…"

"Good. Then why don't you get on that Ryan. Marissa?" she said beckoning for her to follow.

"I'll help Ryan, Mrs. Atwood. They're my things…and it's the very least I could do… And actually, if it's not too inconvenient, I'd really like to take a shower before I eat…"

"Of course, of course. It's no inconvenience at all, Marissa. Just come back down here when you're ready to eat. The kitchen is right through here." She said kindly, pointing down the hallway she had come through.

"Thank you." Marissa said again. Ryan turned and opened the front door and Marissa was about to follow when Jennifer stopped them.

"Oh, before I forget Marissa, there's probably someone you need to call, let them know where you are and everything?"

"Oh, um…no Mrs. Atwood. There's no one to call." She turned and started out the front door. Jennifer was about to press the matter, but glanced at her son. He gave her a look and a slight shake of his head, so she didn't. Instead she said to Marissa,

"Please, call me Jen."

"Okay." Marissa replied turning back to Jen and smiling. With that, she and Ryan walked out the front door and back towards Ryan's car. After shutting it, Marissa turned to him.

"Thanks." She said.

"For what?" he asked.

"For not letting her press it…"

"Yeah," he said nonchalantly, "No problem." Ryan didn't know exactly why he hadn't let his mother press it, but there was still something in Marissa's eyes, in her voice when she had said there was no one. Now wasn't the time to press it. They walked to the car in silence and Ryan unlocked it and grabbed the two duffel bags out of the backseat. Handing one to Marissa, he relocked his car and they began to walk back to the house. He looked over at her and noticed she was smiling.

"So?" he said, still looking at her.

"So?" she replied back, but couldn't suppress a laugh. It was the first time Ryan had heard her laugh. It was soft, and silky.

"What?" he asked, smiling first then laughing too, not knowing why. She looked at him, the smile still brightening her eyes.

"Your middle name is Maurice?"

**A/N:**Not really sure what Ryan's real middle name is, so I threw this in to give it a little humor. ...I thought it was funny at least. lol. Anyway...PLEASE read and REVIEW. I love reviews. Reviews make me a happy writer. Happy writers like to write! So it's all one big lovely circle if you think about it...lol. Next chapter should be up soon. Thanks for reading.


	5. Chapter 5: The Whiskey or the Porn Star?

**A/N:** For any of my original readers who have come across this, I am SO sorry. School kicked in, life got complicated, and I was just bleh. Here is the, once soon promised, Chapter 5. I really hope to get back into this. I'm having fun writing it and I like what it's turning into. now if I can just remember all the plans I had for it... Oh well...It will come to me. -meditates- Lol. Anyways, I hope everyone enjoys it. Please tell me what you think. PS...I know the title is a little...risque (sp? haha), but read it and you'll get it...I hope. Feel free to ask. Lol.

Happy Reading.

-Ragdoll

**Chapter 5: The Whiskey or the Porn Star?**

It felt so good to laugh. Marissa and Ryan laughed all the way up two flights of stairs. She tried to suppress it as they walked up to the first landing, but when she looked over at Ryan and saw the smirk on his face, Marissa couldn't hold it in.

Struggling for breath as they walked down the third floor hallway, Ryan turned toward her wit ha smile still on his face,

"You know if I think about it…this really isn't that funny." Marissa hitched up the strap of her duffel bag higher onto her shoulder in acknowledgement, and clutching her side, fell into another fit of giggles.

"No, no, I know," she managed out. Stopping for a second to compose herself, Marissa took a deep breath. "It's just, you look kind of like 'Mr. Badass' and-" But she cut herself off, the words melting into her infectious laughter.

"Oh yeah?" he said not being able to help himself and joining her, "What about you?"

"What about me?" she gasped out. They paused in front of a door at the end of the hallway.

"What's your middle name?" he reached out, turned the brass door handle, and held the door open.

"Jameson." She replied, stepping into the dark bedroom.

"What, like the whiskey, or the porn star?" He followed her inside, flipped on the light switch, and set her bag on the carpet. She turned, smiling, and faced him as he leaned against the door jamb.

"You know what? Knowing my mother, probably both." Ryan gave a slight laugh and still smiling, ran a hand through his hair. He hadn't laughed like that with anyone in a long time. She smiled and, setting her bag down, took a look around the room.

It was a big room and the colors were rich reds and browns. Directly in front of her were a set of glass doors that led out to a terrace. They were flanked by large windows on either side. A big bed with iron bed-posts rested against the wall to the left. Next to it was a small vanity table. Across the room were a fireplace, a loveseat, and a cherry wood dresser and large book shelf.

"So, the bathroom is through that door," Ryan said, pointing to a door to the left of the fireplace, "and there should be towels and everything in there." He walked across the room and pulled open the terrace doors, letting a soft breeze into the room. Marissa followed and stood in the open doorway with him.

"This part of the house backs up to the desert. It's always quiet."

"It's beautiful." Marissa said, her eyes softening and lifting up to the inky black sky. "You never see the stars like this in Boston." His gaze lifted up to the stars with hers. They stood in silence for a moment. Part of him was waiting for Marissa to say more, more about Boston and whatever she was running from. He glanced over at her when the silence stretched on, but didn't press anything. She turned and their eyes met, dangerously calm blue to wild, stormy grey/blue.

The silence was shattered by the low rumble of her stomach.

They both let out breaths of laughter.

"I'll let you, uh-" he was stuttering. Ryan was appalled with himself. He ran a hand through his hair again and backed out of the doorway.

"Shower." She finished for him. She closed the terrace doors and bit back a laugh as he turned around. He stuttered…_it was cute_, she thought.

"Yeah." He walked toward the bedroom door. "So, I'll see you downstairs."

"Ok." She said smiling. "I won't be long."

"Alright." He said and had almost shut the door completely when she spoke again.

"Ryan?" she spoke slightly softer than before. He poked his head back into the room and looked at her.

"Thanks." She smiled and turned into the bathroom before he could say anything.

"Your welcome." He spoke to the empty room, then shut the door.

* * *

An hour later, Ryan was walking back up the stairs to Marissa's room with a hot bowl of ravioli and a tall glass of water. She hadn't come downstairs, and seeing as his father had just gotten home, Ryan was more than happy for the excuse to go see to their guest. 

When he reached her bedroom door, he gently tapped it with his foot and waited. When no answer came, he tapped it again.

"Marissa?" He didn't hear anything, so he set the bowl and glass down on the floor and opened the door.

"Marissa?" he said again. He took a few steps in and then saw her. She lay curled on top of the bed, her damp hair fanned across the pillows. She was clad in a pair of short grey shorts and a black tank top with "Beatles" printed across it in red block letters. Her eyes were closed and her lips softly parted in sleep. While he looked at her, she shifted, curling herself closer. She was cold.

Without a second thought, Ryan strode over to the bed and as carefully as he could, pulled the blankets down as Marissa slept on them. Once they were down to her feet, he pulled the sheets up over her legs and arms. She relaxed some, stretching into the warmth of the blankets. Her hair fell into her face.

Again without the thinking, Ryan reached out a hand and pushed the strands behind her ear. Forgetting himself, he stood there and just looked at her. Her mouth curved into the faintest hint of a smile while she slept. Ryan didn't know how long he stood there, but was snapped back to reality by the vibrating of the phone in his pocket.

He pulled it out and saw it was Seth. His mom must have called Kirsten. Placing the phone back in his pocket, Ryan turned and walked toward the bedroom door. He looked back at the bed once more, his hand poised on the light-switch and felt that small jolt down his spine again. Shaking his head, he ran a hand through his hair, shut the light off, and quietly closed the door.

**A/N:** You like? Lemme know. Gah,,,and the whole pron star/whiskey thing.** NOTE:** I was referring to Jenna Jameson, who, yes is a porn star No, I do not watch porn. It was an E! True Hollywood Story I saw when I was sick. I was way too out of it to change the channel. Then the whole middle name thing between R&M...idk, it made me laugh...hopefully it made at least some of you laugh...


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